§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Attorney-General what percentage of land and property is now registered on the national register.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe question cannot be answered precisely as asked. Compulsory registration of title applies to about 28 per cent, of land area, covering some 73.3 per cent, of the population. However, within this area not all titles are registered since an application need be made only for the land to be brought on to the register of title where there has been a sale or a grant of a long lease. The only other occasion on which registration is compulsory is when the tenant of a public sector dwelling exercises his statutory right to buy; this applies whether or not the property is within the area of compulsory registration. There is also provision for voluntary applications for registration within the area of compulsory registration, and in certain circumstances an application may be made in respect of land outside the area.
Of the 19.2 million dwellings in England and Wales some 7 million have already been registered. Additionally, approximately 1 million registered titles have been created in respect of non-residential property.